THE EXISTENCE

POLISH TITLE: ISTNIENIE

REPRESENTED BY KFF

A famous Polish actor, 80-years old Jerzy Nowak (eg “Schindler’s List” dir. S. Spielberg and Andrzej Wajda movies) decided that after death his body should not be buried, but used for the benefit of science. The documentary shows the process of making that decision, the actor’s dilemmas and important thoughts about death. In catholic countries – like Poland – the documentary will be controversial if only for its subject matter. Polish actor is terminally ill and wants to tell the story from the perspective of a dying man. As an actor he wants to play his last role, at the same time the first leading one, and explain why he decided to donate his body to science. Personal, ironic, and often positive themes in the context of a fundamental, thought-provoking, taboo raising discussion. The film treats its subject in a way which is innovative even on the world scale.

Born in 1970 in Krakow. He is a graduate of the K. Kieslowski Faculty of Radio and Television at the University of Silesia. He works as a cameraman of fiction films and a cameraman and director of documentaries. He has been a laureate of numerous festival awards (Nyon, Berlin, Gdynia, Krakow, Wrocław).